SELECTION OF CUVETTE FOR

SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC
DETERMINATION

By
Ms Jyotirmayee Dash
Asst.Prof
IMT Pharmacy College, Puri

Under the Guidance of Prof (Dr.) Agnimitra Dinda

[THANK YOU……..]
•  Cuvette (French: Cuvette = "little vessel") is a small
tube-like container with straight sides and a circular or
square cross section. It is sealed at one end, and made of
a clear, transparent material such as plastic, glass, or
fused quartz.
• Cuvettes are designed to hold samples for spectroscopic
measurement, where a beam of light is passed through
the sample within the cuvette to measure absorbance,
transmittance, fluorescence intensity, fluorescence
polarization, or fluorescence lifetime of the sample.

(This measurement is done with a spectrophotometer)

 What is spectrophotometer used for?

• A spectrophotometer is an analytical
instrument used for the objective calculation
of visible light, UV light, or infrared light
emission or reflection. Spectrophotometers
measure intensity as a function of the
wavelength of the light source.
 The basic principle of spectrophotometer?

Spectrophotometry is a procedure for

determining how much light is reflected by a
chemical material by measuring the strength
of light as a light beam travels through the
sample solution. The fundamental theory is
that light is absorbed or emitted over a certain
wavelength spectrum by each compound.
(The number of protons transmit and absorb totally depending on
the length of the Cuvette and the concentration of the sample.)
 Factors affecting on spectrophotometric determination
n

• 1. Instrument precision
• 2. Instrument stability
3. Sample preparation
• 4. Selection of cuvette
 Sample holder…..
• Traditional ultraviolet–visible
spectroscopy or fluorescence spectroscopy uses
samples that are liquid. Often the sample is a 
solution, with the substance of interest
dissolved within. The sample is placed in a
cuvette and the cuvette is placed in a
spectrophotometer for testing. The cuvette can
be made of any material that is transparent in
the range of wavelengths used in the test.
 Cuvette Material Breakdown
• The most important factor when looking for a
UV- VIS cuvette, what is the cuvette material? 
• There are many different materials that a cuvette
can be made from. Beside Plastic the four most
popular cuvette materials are listed below:
•Optical Glass or Pyrex Glass
•UV Quartz
•IR Quartz
•Sapphire
Each of these materials has their strengths and weaknesses.
Basic selection Procedure….

Material Transmission
Optical Glass 340 - 2,500 nm
UV Quartz 190 - 2,500 nm
IR Quartz 220 - 3,500 nm
Sapphire 250 - 5,000 nm
 Optical Glass Cuvette
• This cuvette material is great for work in the
VIS range and has a decent transmission range
from 340-2,500 nm.
 UV Quartz Cuvette
• UV Quartz is a step above Optical Glass.  also
have an extended transmission range of 190-
2,500 nm.  For UV experiments, you absolutely
need a UV quartz cuvette.
 IR Quartz Cuvette
• IR Quartz is great choice for cuvettes for UV
VIS measurements.  The transmission range is
220-3,500 nm so you get some of the UV, but
you get a nice range in the IR as well.
 Sapphire Cuvette
• Sapphire is an amazing cuvette material. 
Sapphire is a super hard material making it
damage resistant and very hard to scratch. 
The transmission range on sapphire is a
whopping 250-5,000 nm.  Of course, this is the
most expensive of the four making it great for
the super broad optical range.
 UV Quartz Cuvette type..
The most popular cuvette for UV VIS that we carry is
our Type 1UV10 and Type 5UV10.  Now Type 1 and
Type 5 are pretty much identical.  The only difference
is that Type 1 cells have square corners and Type 5
cells have rounded corners. 
 Quartz : What is it ?
• Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed
of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked
in a continuous framework of SiO4 (silicon-
oxygen tetrahedral ), with each oxygen being
shared between two tetrahedral, giving an
overall chemical formula of SiO2. Quartz is the
second most abundant mineral on Earth . 
 Glass Vs Quartz
• There are many differences between glass and quartz. The
first one lies in the silicone dioxide content; glass has
roughly eighty percent, while quartz can contain over
ninety percent.
• As an amorphous substance, glass has a random molecular
structure, while quartz as a crystalline substance has a
symmetrical molecular structure.
• Quartz can be subject to greater temperature and pressure
as compared to glass.
• Both quartz and glass are utilized for electrical purposes;
glass is an insulator, while quartz is a conductor.
 Etymology
• The word “Quartz" is derived from the German
 word "Quartz", which had the same form in the
first half of the 14th century in 
Middle High German and in East Central.
• Quartz is usually mined from veins within rock
(sorden).
• Quartz can be found all over the earth, Quartz
varies in value depending on it’s clarity, cut , size
and condition.
• There was a large quartz vein running through
Gwinnett country in 2008.
 Existence of Quartz
• crystalline form of silicon dioxide. When quartz grows into
large crystals, lapidaries can cut varieties such as rock crystal,
smoky quartz, amethyst, or citrine. Quartz can also grow into
stones made of tiny microcrystal's.

• The element of quartz exists in two forms. Let us discuss the

types of quartz or quartz types and meanings.
(1) α-, or the low, quartz - It is stable up to the temperature of
573 °C .
(2) β-, or the high quartz - It is stable above the temperature
of 573 °C.
 Types of quartz
1 .Crystalline or Macro Crystalline Varieties
• These varieties consist of crystals that are visible to the
human eye. Crystal Quartz is mostly used as a
gemstone or for making jewelry. Quartz crystals,
although naturally colorless, can also be of different
colors according to the presence of impurities.
• The essential members of the crystalline quartz include
the Aventurine Quartz, Amethyst, Eisenkiesel,  vein
quartz, milky quartz, ferruginous quartz, Cat’s eye,
Rock crystal. Other members of the crystalline varieties
of quartz include the transparent quartz, Rose quartz.
2) Cryptocrystalline Varieties or Micro Crystalline
Varieties
• These varieties consist of tiny crystal grains
that are not visible to the human eye but can
be seen with an optical microscope.
• The Cryptocrystalline varieties include
Chalcedony, agate, jasper, onyx, flint, and
chert.
3) Clastic or Granular Varieties
• These varieties mainly include quartz sand,
silica sand, sandstone .
 The crystalline varieties include

1) Amethyst

2) Milky quartz

3) Rose quartz
 4) Rock crystal

5) Aventurine quartz

6) Citrine

7) Smoky quartz

8 ) Blue quartz

9) Sapphire
•
 Crystal
• Crystal can be defined as a solid particle,
which is formed by the solidification process
under suitable environment in which
structural units are arranged by a fix
geometric pattern .
 Mechanism of Crystallizationa
• The formation of crystals from solution
involves three steps.
• A. Supersaturation
• B. Nucleation ( Nucleus formation)
• C. Crystal growth
 Quartz Production
• Quartz is also defined as piezoelectric, which
is a crystal that develops both positive and
negative charges on an alternate prism edge
when it is subjected to either tension or
pressure.

Discovered by the French physicist and chemist Pierre Curie (1859–1906)

 Piezoelectric effect.. 
• piezoelectric effect is a phenomenon demonstrated by
certain crystals: when squeezed or stretched, a voltage is
produced across the crystal's face. This effect is reversible
as well, for when a voltage is applied to a piezoelectric
crystal it will stretch; if the polarity of the voltage is
alternated, the crystal will rapidly expand and contract,
producing a vibration. It is this vibration that makes quartz
especially useful. Every kind of piezoelectric crystal has a
natural vibration frequency that is determined by its
thickness—the thinner the crystal, the higher the
frequency..
• Man-made quartz, called Fused quartz, is made
by melting down many pieces of natural quartz and reforming
it into almost any shape. Fused quartz displays many useful
properties not found in natural quartz.
• First, because it neither expands nor contracts with changing
temperatures, it makes an ideal component of precise
scientific equipment, such as telescope and microscope lenses.
• Second, It also is an unsurpassed conductor of heat, light,
and ultraviolet rays , and in many cases it can be used to direct
light rays through bends and angles. Additionally, fused quartz,
which is nearly impervious to acids and other chemicals, is
often used to make test tubes and other chemical containers.
[THANK
YOU……..]